30 Apr Artist Spotlights: Jerome Fleischman

In art, the term “negative space” refers to the area around the subject. In a still life featuring a bouquet of flowers, for example, the flowers and vase are the positive space and what surrounds it, the negative space. Woodworker Jerome Fleischman was intrigued by this concept when he first heard it in a sculpture class at the University of Miami in Florida, where he was studying computer science. Fleischman, tall and lanky, had been recruited to Miami to run track, and chose computer science as a sensible major despite the fact that his true passion lay in the analog world.

After that initial sculpting class, Fleischman decided to add a concentration in sculpture to his computer science major — always good to have a fall-back plan, right?

Many artists struggle to develop their “voice” — their personal style or brand — but Fleischman’s emerged in college, with a welding torch in hand. “I welded a yin-yang table and used slatted wood for the top, and turned the slats so they were perpendicular to each other,” he says. “The negative space of that design (the open space between the slats), painted a yin-yang shadow on the ground.” Seeing his ability and ingenuity, Fleischman’s art professors gave him access to advanced tools and room to experiment. The rest, as they say, is history.

After college, Fleischman relocated to Colorado where he found space to design and build bespoke tables and chairs, as well as butcher blocks (cutting boards) and his signature floating knife racks. Nearly everything he makes, by the way, is built using reclaimed wood.

“Repurposing wood is a lot of work,” he says. “It involves lots of time bent over, pulling nails, planing, and resawing, but it affords me the creative freedom to experiment, and gives me the opportunity to breathe new life into wood that would have otherwise gone to waste.”

Negative Nesting Tables | Reclaimed Cherry, Reclaimed Maple, Walnut | Four tables measuring 11 to 22 inches tall x 12 to 24 inches square

The freedom that comes with recycling things like hardwood flooring has allowed Fleischman to riff off some of his favorite furniture designers including Isamu Noguchi and Marcel Breuer. Combine that with his penchant for blending unique materials and his attention to detail, and it’s no wonder Fleischman has attracted a loyal, word-of-mouth following.

Among his designs, which he refers to as mosaics of wood, Fleischman offers functional pieces as well as the occasional commission, like the vinyl record stands he designed for a pair of siblings. To give the individual stands a familial connection, he exchanged one small block out of each on which he added the siblings’ initials to tie both pieces together visually and symbolically.

As his reputation has grown, Fleischman’s need for more workspace has as well — though his home in the conversion van he decked out, as one would expect, with a custom hardwood interior, is still just fine for home. He’ll soon be moving into a bigger shop in Denver where he can tackle larger projects. Among his newer ventures are floor lamps and mirrors illuminated with LED lights. And yes, he will continue to make the ubiquitous butcher blocks and floating knife stands, as long as that work remains unique and provides a challenge.

Negative Breuer Chair | Reclaimed Cherry, Reclaimed Maple, Walnut | 33 x 18.5 x 20 inches

Ultimately, Fleischman’s work resides somewhere between fine art and high-end functional craft. Almost too beautiful to use, he jovially implores clients to do just that. “One of my pet peeves is when somebody buys a butcher block from me, then tells me they’re afraid to use it,” he says. “The whole reason I got into woodworking was to make functional art; these were meant to be used. So, please, if you buy my work, promise me you’ll use it.”

To see more of Fleischman’s work, visit negativedesignco.com and follow him on Instagram at negativedesign.co.